


two hearts bound by string

by togamis



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Child Abuse, Civil War, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, MIT, Post Civil War, Red String of Fate AU, Soulmate AU, Soulmates, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-23 17:36:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17687903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/togamis/pseuds/togamis
Summary: an invisible red thread connects those who are soulmates.this string leads them to each other.ORan examination of tony and rhodey through the years.





	two hearts bound by string

**Author's Note:**

  * For [atlaswrote](https://archiveofourown.org/users/atlaswrote/gifts).



> warnings; descriptions of physical abuse and their effects on children. some racism towards rhodey (not from tony)  
> this is like an. au, MIT era and post-cw thingy all mashed into one. it goes through the events of most of the movies. also the most amount of words ive written in a day, you can tell where i start to lose steam haha oops  
> edit: yes. i know. theres a LOT of people missing. i wrote this in a day as a challenge to myself. i hope you'll read the story despite that.

The first time Tony Stark saw his string, he was five years old.   
His lip was split and blood smeared from where his father’s ring got too close. Tony had done exactly as his father had asked; had built a little robot from random bits and pieces, that walked and waddled  like any little robot should. Howard hadn’t liked that, clearly, the fact that his son was so smart at such a young age.

The string was a bright red, tied around his pinky finger with a neat little bow and endless. It had taken his mind off the pain, just until Jarvis found him, where he had hidden in the closet, and Tony thought he had seen it tug. Jarvis found him twenty minutes later, happily listening to the little boy babble while he cleaned the cuts. 

On the other hand, James Rhodes first saw his string when he was nine. Most children saw their string by the time they turned seven-- James was considered a late bloomer. His mother had assured him that he did, in fact, have a soulmate, but maybe they hadn’t reached age five yet-- the age at which the string bounds two people. So he’d gone along the walk of life, and had eventually pushed the thought to the back of his mind. 

Kids were normally taught in school what the state of their string meant; bright red and full ment your soulmate was happy, uninjured. Discolouration meant your soulmate was feeling negative emotions; if the string was worn, your soulmate was hurt. If it snapped, your soulmate had died. The first time James saw his soulmate’s string, it was worn and dark red. His mother heard her child crying and all but sprinted to his room, desperate to figure out what had reduced James to crying on the floor of his bedroom. She had gotten a small “the string” and her heart  _ sunk. _ There was nothing she could do, she wasn’t able to meddle with a string that only her son could see-- the only thing she could do was hold him tight and pray for his other half.

 

By the time Tony was seven, he was flinching away from any touch. He was quiet, secluded and friendless. The kids at school either picked on him or ignored him. And when they weren’t doing that, they were leaving marks. When his father found out-- oh, when his father found it, everything became  _ so much worse. _ In hindsight, he should have known it was going to be a bad day. Jarvis had ushered him to the living room, telling him in hushed tones to  _ please, Anthony, stay quiet. _ They soon reached the room, Jarvis giving him a concerned look before taking his bag and opening the door. 

The first thing Tony noticed was that his father was drunk _. _ Even more than normal-- his father was always a bit tipsy when he came home from work, but rarely ever so drunk he couldn’t stand. A snarled “come here, boy.” sent Tony’s heart rate through the roof as he approached the couch. 

“School called today. Said you were…. getting  _ bullied. _ ” Howard slurred, glaring at the boy standing in front of him. 

“Said you ran to one of the teachers  _ crying _ like a pussy. What did I tell you, boy?” he demanded, voice getting louder and tone getting angrier.

“St-Stark men are made of iron.” Tony whispered, flinching backwards slightly when Howard raised the brown bottle of liquid, taking a swig. 

“EXACTLY,” he roared, swinging the bottle to the side of his son’s face. Tony screamed, hitting the floor with a thump. He curled into a ball, not touching the glass and blood running down his cheek. 

“Not a word.” His father hissed, stumbling out of the room to do God knows what. Jarvis rushed in, eyes widening at the boy he considered his  _ son _ lying in a puddle of his own blood, glass everywhere. He wasn’t good at this, wasn’t good at watching Tony cry. Jarvis shushed Tony softly, picking him up and bringing him to the bathroom.  That hadn’t been the first time it happened, and Jarvis assumed it wouldn’t be the last. 

 

By the time time Tony was fourteen, he was  _ ages _ ahead of his father in intelligence. His father hadn’t liked that- hadn’t liked that his failure of a son, his would be heir, was smarter than him in so many ways. Hadn’t liked his son had built the world’s first learning AI when he was thirteen. His solution had been to send him away. Out of sight, out of mind, which was why Tony had been accepted into MIT, a top-rate science university at  _ fourteen. _ Too young and too reckless to be out in the real world alone, but out in the real world he would be. 

 

Everything had been paid for, obviously, from his food to his classes and books. Howard would rather throw money at a problem then face it, so throw money he did. Jarvis came to campus that day, Tony’s mother couldn’t be bothered to watch her son take the next step in his life. Jarvis had always been proud, so proud of Tony; he’d cried when he learned his son had been accepted into university, proof of his intelligence. Tony had told him it was because of his father, but Jarvis knew better. He’d watched Tony grow up through the years, through the ups and downs and everything in between-- he was smart, so smart, too smart for his own good. 

 

Ana tagged along too, wanting to see her boy one more time. While Ana didn’t get to see Tony as often as she would have liked, he was a son to her and her husband. It was only right for them to see him off. They carried box after box into the (quite large, MIT had done some upgrading) dorm, setting them down on top of each other. Tony noted that one side of the room was already half together, posters and clothing up and strung on the twin sized bed. Jarvis and Ana left shortly after, making Tony promise to call and write as often as he could. Ana kissed his head, murmuring that she loved him before waiting outside of the room. Jarvis gave him a big hug, reinforcing the ‘call us whenever you need to, Anthony.’ before leaving. If a couple tears fell down Tony’s cheeks afterwords, only the walls saw. Tony was snapped out of his daze when another person came walking in. He quickly wiped the tears from his cheeks, plastering on the fake smile he knew so well before turning around. 

_ Only to be greeted by the prettiest person he had ever seen _ . 

“Oh! You must be Tony. I’m James. James Rhodes. I’m your roommate.” James introduced, setting the box down and sticking out his hand. 

“Tony. Tony Stark.” He replied, taking the hand extended towards him. Straight away, Tony noticed his pinky  _ burning _ where he’d seen the string wrapped around it so many years ago. The string began to glow, and Tony’s eyes widened in shock. 

“What-” He started, barely able to get the word out before being interrupted by a 

“Oh, _ honey! _ I’m so happy for you!” 

Tony whirled towards the voice like a deer caught in the headlights. There stood a woman no taller than 5’5, beaming at the two boys who were standing in shock. 

“M-Ma. This is Tony. Tony, this is my Ma.” 

“Well, darlin’, welcome to the family. You let me know if you need anything-- I’m just a phone call away.” She explained, sending another smile at him. 

“I’m just gonna say goodbye to Jamie here and then I’ll leave you two alone, okay? You keep unpackin’ and he’ll be back soon.” 

 

His ma all but dragged James outside, making sure to shut the door and walk a little ways down the hallway. 

“That boy is way too skinny and way too young to be here, you hear me? Don't think I didn't see the way he flinched when I walked towards him. You look after him, you hear? You don’t gotta fall in love or anything, just try to be his friend.” 

“I was gonna do that anyways Ma. He looks lonely, and those people who were with ‘em are way too old to be his parents,” James assured, smiling at his ma who simply beamed back. 

“Well then, you be safe and have fun.” She mused, giving him a hug and walking down the hallway, leaving James and Tony to their own devices. 

 

Tony had gotten through the first box when James walked back in, who also continued unpacking. 

“So.” James started, sitting on his bed after another two hours of unpacking.   
“Wanna play 20 questions?”

20 questions turned into 30, which turned into so many more. 

Tony learned that Rhodey was from South Carolina, that he had 2 younger sisters and his Ma expected the both of them to be back for Christmas. He learned that Rhodey wanted to join the army after getting his degree. He learned that Rhodes was  _ really _ smart and kind and  _ so much more than he expected him to be. _

James learned that Tony loved to talk. That he loved anything science, that he  _ created a learning AI _ (that was sitting in the corner and named DUM-E), that he didn’t actually want to be at MIT in the first place, that he wanted a friend and that he was so excited to have found his soulmate. James wasn’t stupid; he could tell Tony had gone through a lot more than he was letting on, but that was to be expected. 

In the first two months of university, a lot happened. 

Tony made two more friends-- Tiberius Stone and Sunset Bain-- both of whom James couldn’t say he really liked (or trusted). Tony skyrocketed towards the top of the class, Rhodey close behind him. 

Falling in love was as easy as blinking, and within half a year, Tony and Rhodey were together. 

It was awkward and amazing and Tony loved every second of it. 

 

Within the first year, Tony lost his two friends. 

“You do realize the only reason he got in here is because he’s… you know..” Sunset sighed, taking the cigarette from her mouth and facing Tony. 

“Because he’s what?” Tony questioned, really not liking the way this conversation was going. He had a feeling in the back of his mind that he knew what she was going to say, but he  _ prayed _ he was wrong. 

“He’s black, Tony, come on.” She said bluntly, taking another drag and glancing at Ty. Before Tony could say anything, Tiberius spoke up, only adding more fuel to the fire. 

“You don’t have to pretend you’re soulmates ‘cause he’s black Tones. I know you don’t  _ really _ like him, that you’re just playing along. It’s obvious.” His tone was full of sympathy, while Tony’s face contorted into disgust. 

 

“Fuck you both. We’re done.” He hissed, sending the both of them a glare and walking away. He was hurt, sure, but that paled in comparison to the sheer  _ disgust _ he felt towards them. Did people really think that about Rhodey? When he approached his soulmate about it, Rhodey looked touched. He knew it wasn’t okay, sure, but there wasn’t.. really anything he could do about it. They left it at that, Tony determined to continue the conversation at a better time.

He never got to.

Before Tony knew it, his world was practically crumbling around him. He was 21 when his parents died. As if that wasn’t the cherry on the cake, Rhodey got deployed. They’d had a teary goodbye, Rhodey promising to check in at least twice a week. Tony let him go, falling into the bottle as his life slowly crumbled to pieces.    
  


Then he got kidnapped.

It was just a presentation, Tony had said.

I’ll be back by dinner, Rhodey-Bear, don’t worry, he’d assured. 

Tony never came back.

Rhodey could only watch as the string got worse and worse, it’s colour fading and the red string slowly giving way. He had been watching it when it snapped-- he’d blink and suddenly his heart stopped, the string attached to his pinky black and small. It was no longer leading anywhere, no longer telling him that Tony was alive. Which.. meant…

_ Tony was dead. _

His heart plummeted to his feet, tears forming in his eyes within a split second. The grief was _crushing_ , his heart felt like it was being ripped apart at the seams. There was no mistaking it, that Tony hadn’t died-- his heart had stopped and the string had broken, severing their bond, leaving Rhodey _alone._   
Which is why he thought he was hallucinating when, the next time he looked, the string was back together. It was dark red, but together. He was able to touch it, which disproved the hallucination, and had his hopes soaring back up again. 

_ He would find him. _

Rhodey called in every favour, every contact he’d ever made to find his soulmate. It took three long, agonizing months to find his soulmate. Three of the worst months of James’ life. 

 

“How was the funvee?” He’d asked, three months later, voice cracking and tears forming in his eyes. 

“Next time, you ride with me.”

He’d cried when he found Tony in the desert, the pair clutching each other as if they were a lifeline. There was a car battery in his soulmate’s chest, but that was a conversation for a far later date. Tony had, once he was safe in the hospital, explained to Rhodey what it did and how it kept him alive. Tony allowed him to touch it, examine the thing that brought his soulmate back from the dead. That was now inside him, that looked like every breath Tony took hurt. It was well done, for a random cave in the middle of a desert, and Rhodey had a feeling Tony wasn’t telling him everything. The entire thing came out when Tony had been discharged, when he was pressed against Rhodey’s chest in their bedroom. 

There was nothing Rhodey could do but hold him just a little bit closer, tucking Tony’s head under his chin and gently rubbing a hand up and down his back. 

They’d get through his, just like they’d gotten through everything else. 

Tony shut down the manufacturing of weapons and declared he was Iron Man in the same breath. James couldn’t say he was surprised-- Tony was always horrible at keeping secrets from him, so he’d seen this coming from a mile away. Then Obie happened, and Rhodey watched his soulmate nearly fall apart and fall back into the bottle right in front of his eyes. Tony had stopped drinking when he came home from Afghanistan, and Rhodey intended to keep it that way. 

Tony nearly died (again), the Avengers saved the world, and everything was good. They were happy, and the string between both of them was bright red and full. 

Then the  _ witch _ got into his soulmates mind, and everything went to hell. 

Tony refused to tell James what he saw; James knew he must be fucking terrified if it was enough to keep it from him, and decided not to push. He knew Tony like the back of his hand, better than he knew himself. He would wait until Tony wanted to talk, to tell him what had him so shaken he stopped sleeping at night. 

 

Ultron was supposed to take two years to code, and more to actually make a body for.  

James knew,  _ knew _ shit was going to hit the fan the second Tony proposed it to Bruce. Bruce had also seen how shaken Tony was and, having been through the witch’s nightmare himself, agreed to help. They had gotten halfway through the coding when Ultron took over, ripping JARVIS apart from behind the scenes. They’d been having a party, joking and laughing when Ultron revealed himself. Tony had implemented the back route shutdown, but even that hadn’t worked on the AI. He could  _ see _ Tony panicking, mind going a hundred miles a minute trying to figure out what had gone wrong. 

Sure, he was playing the facade of suave for his teammates, but James knew better. Tony had no idea what had gone wrong, no idea how to start fixing it. The final nail in the post was when they had seen what was left of JARVIS- practically nothing. There were two lines of code, the first two Tony had written and that was it. The AI was just hollow casing now, unsalvageable. JARVIS didn’t have a backup-- he was  _ gone. _ Ultron escaped, a weird and a fast kid were found to be on his side, and all hell broke loose. Ultron had no morals, no nothing; he killed and manipulated without remorse. Helen Cho nearly  _ died. _ The kids (were they? Were they really kids?) switched sides at the last moment, when they finally realized that they too were going to be destroyed.

Ultron wanted humanity to  _ burn _ , and he would stop at nothing to achieve that goal. SHIELD and the Avengers banded together to take down the army of robots, as Rhodey was forced to watch the battle from the sidelines, on the small TV in the base’s dining hall. His boys knew that him and Tony were soulmates, letting James hog the television for as long as the battle would take. It took a couple hours at most-- one casualty, the fast one named Pietro. He couldn’t help but feel relieved that it hadn’t been Tony; but James swore he could hear the screams of Pietro’s sister. That’s what it had felt like when Rhodey saw that his string was cut all those years ago. Heart crushing, all consuming, like you wanted to lay down and never move again because there was no point in going on. A small part of his heart ached for her, ached for the grief she would have to go through.

It was a small part of his heart, so small. She had, after all, ripped Tony’s mind apart, scared him so much he felt the need to build an AI to protect them. That wouldn’t be forgotten. 

No one trusted Tony anymore. His ‘team’ made the executive decision that someone had to be with him in his lab at all times, especially when he was working on artificial intelligence. The lack of trust wore at the string, causing it to become a slightly darker shade of red than before. Tony had gotten used to not being trusted, so if didn’t cut as deep as it should. James couldn’t say-- he was still in the army, after all, and the army didn’t make exceptions. 

Thus, it was determined that Steve would be the one to watch Tony. Tony was sure he’d get tired of it eventually, would see how stupid this entire thing was and would leave him to his own devices-- except he didn’t. Every single second that Tony was in his lab, even if it was technology for SI, Steve was there. The only times he was alone were when Steve got too exhausted to stay awake, but even then, Tony was sure someone was watching him. 

He ended up building FRIDAY in secret. He’d been ‘banned’ from working with artificial intelligence, but it wasn’t like that was going to stop him. Tony felt uneasy without an AI watching over him, without a voice coming through the ceiling. It took him 6 months of hard work, but eventually, FRIDAY came to life. He kept her on the down low, only allowing her access to the security and internet. She couldn’t speak, but she grew faster than Tony had ever anticipated. By month seven she was all but begging to be uploaded, to be given more information and to be able to fully protect her creator.

Tony is a weak, weak man when it comes to his children; so FRIDAY was uploaded with a promise to stay out of sight and out of mind of everyone but Tony, Pepper, Happy and Rhodey. She showed herself on a rainy Saturday when Steve got too close too quickly in the common area for his liking, a threat clear in her “Step away from Mister Stark, Captain.” 

 

Needless to say, none of his team were all too pleased at the addition of the new AI. FRIDAY wasn’t having it, seeing how James and Tony acted,  acting in his soulmates place. James wasn’t here right now-- he couldn’t protect Tony, who clearly needed protecting. FRIDAY didn’t know a lot about the so called ‘Avengers’, but she did know she didn’t like them, not one bit. She talked with James a lot, him teaching her all about soulmates and strings. Her string, he said, was tied to Tony; he was her creator, after all. While he didn’t need her telling him Tony’s condition 24/7, he did check in when the state of the string got especially concerning. 

Then came the deemed ‘civil war’. 

It, quite literally, split the team down the middle; Tony Stark against Steve Rogers, Iron Man versus Captain America. In the blink of an eye they were at the airport, battling alongside someone who sounded like a child. Little did Tony know, this was going to be the worst day of his life. 

From the moment the battle started, everything seemed to be going in slow motion. One part of him was screaming to stop this, stop this senseless fight, that Steve would listen to him if he just  _ stopped. _ The other? The other part knew Steve wouldn’t listen through talking, that this might be the only way to get it in his head. He hadn’t wanted to do this, to have it come to such an extreme, but there was  _ no other option. _ Steve’s team refusing to sign the Accords put them  _ all _ at risk. Sure, it wasn’t the best situation-- but the Accords? They could be changed, amended. There were loopholes for a reason, loopholes Tony would gladly go through if they had  _ just signed the papers. _

But they didn’t. 

So now they’re here, they’ll all here, at an abandoned airport in buttfuck Germany fighting a fight that should never have come about in the first place. He’s fighting the man he considers to be his best friend; and suddenly, nothing will ever be the same. But that’s nothing compare to the utter  _ terror _ he feels that shot through his chest not a second later. He glances to the sky to see Rhodey, his soulmate plummeting to the ground too far too fast. Tony isn’t sure who screamed, maybe it’s him, as he raced towards Rhodey.

The crack his spine makes when he hits the ground will  _ haunt _ Tony forever. He knows, at that moment, that sound will be the thing that plagues his nightmares for the rest of his life. 

Before, it had just been a senseless, stupid fight. 

 

Now?

 

It was personal. 

 

Everyone had stopped when Rhodey fell. 

Everyone  _ knew _ what was going to happen next.

And they were  _ terrified. _

 

Rhodey had been knocked unconscious before he fell, suit somehow deactivated. Tony was shouting at FRIDAY to give him stats, staring at a string no one else could see. Team Captain America decided to flee, to use this as their way out no matter how shitty the situation. Tony didn’t acknowledge them leaving, his energy focused on keeping his soulmate alive until help got there. The strong was worn, hanging together by a couple threads. It was still bright red, which was a good sign considering his back was broken. The EMTs arrived shortly after that, Natasha gently pulling Tony off of his soulmate so that they could do their job. The rest of the events were a blur, Tony refusing to leave Rhodey’s side; all the while tracking Steve and Barnes’ movements to a bunker in Siberia.

 

He had thought it couldn’t get any worse.

_ He was so wrong. _

 

In the end, Tony was left alone, cold and afraid with no hope of rescue, a shield driven through the thing that kept the suit and, in turn, him, alive. First thing was first; get home. Get home he did, the arc reactor repaired within a matter of days. The second task on his list was to build his soulmate some new legs, one that he didn’t take lightly. It took weeks of testing and building to finally make something suitable for James, who, due to being locked up in the lab, hadn’t seen Tony in about three weeks. Hadn’t seen Tony’s eyes, which were lit up with that spark he hadn’t seen for months. It brough Rhodey joy, even if the situation was less than pleasant. 

In a few months, Rhodey could walk like normal. He still stumbled and tripped every once in a while, but he could walk. That was all that mattered. 

Even though they both had just been through something traumatizing, Tony still had a company to run. Well, Pepper had a company to run-- Tony had a company to build stuff for, which was practically the same thing. Between Accords meetings and regular meetings, Tony was working on creations for SI. The only time the soulmates really saw each other was at the end of the day, where they both had just enough energy to eat dinner, shower, and sleep. It was a small comfort, at least, to be wrapped up in each other for a little while. 

After James had finished his physio, he did something he hadn’t done since the civil war; he looked at the string. It was black, so black, but still strong. Tony was physically fine, sure, but mentally? He had to be suffering. It wasn’t Rhodey’s job to keep track of Tony’s mental health, and Tony should have told him if he hadn’t been well,  he knew that, but it didn’t stop him from worrying. James made a mental note to talk with Tony about it that night, no matter how tired he was. This was something important, something that couldn’t just be brushed aside. 

Everything seemed normal; they cooked dinner together, ate together. Tony told James about his day, and the fact that the investors refused to get off his back about the civil war. They showered, Tony winking and getting washed up, putting on pjs and climbing into bed. James followed shortly behind, making sure to dry off his braces and taking them off. They assumed the normal sleeping position; Tony tucked against James’ chest, nose buried in the crook of his neck. The lights may have been off, but James could tell that Tony was still awake. 

 

“You gotta tell me what’s going on Tones,” James murmured, running a hand up and down Tony’s back when he tensed ever so slightly. 

 

“The string is black. Strong, but black, which tells me there’s somethin going on in that gorgeous head of yours.” James continued, feeling Tony sight into his shoulder. He could feel Tony slowly giving in, deciding whether or not to just come out and say it. He’s known his soulmate for over twenty years, since he was a teen, and it worked the same way every time. 

 

“The civil war. The Accords. Siberia. Everything, I don’t know.” Tony stumbled trying to get words out as fast as humanly possible. As if he hoped James wouldn’t understand, wouldn’t question it any further. He was wrong in that aspect; James was obviously going to push it, just a bit more, because it was bothering Tony to the point where  _ the string was black. _

“I never told you, honey-bear, what actually happened in Siberia, did I?” James shook his head, not wanting to interrupt Tony’s train of thought. It was important he got this out in the open, to get the weight that was obviously on his chest off. 

“They had a video. Well, Zemo had a video. It was of Barnes killing my parents.” Tony began. James could tell he was working himself up into something, and decided it was best to just let it go. 

“And Steve- Steve  _ knew _ . He knew Barnes had killed them. Since Ultron.” Tony’s voice cracked, James’ heart clenching in both sadness and anger. Captain America, huh? James can’t say he saw that coming. 

“I’m so sorry Tones. So sorry.” James hushed, tucking Tony’s head under his chin. James had half a mind to track Steve down and beat him where he stood, but that would do good for no one, especially Tony. Tony’s breathing evened out a few moments later, a surefire sign that he was finally asleep. Unlike his soulmate, James’ mind was going a million miles a minute. There was no way of fixing this, none at all, but he could make  _ sure _ Steve Rogers never set a foot near Tony again. 

  
He had to.

It takes a year for the Rogues to be pardoned. 

In that year, Tony and James begin to heal. They both go to therapy, talk things out and start to finally  _ move on _ from what had happened. The therapist had explained to both of them, on the rare joint-session, that they didn’t need to forgive. They didn’t need to forgive the rogues for hurting them, physically and emotionally. Tony didn’t need to forgive Steve from hiding that information from him. James didn’t need to forgive them for breaking his back.

So they didn’t.

But they moved on. They went on dates, laughed, made love-- everything they couldn’t have time to do in the chaos. Their string was bright red and strong, just like their bond with each other. Neither of them hadn’t expected it to last forever; the Rogues needed to come back at  _ some _ point, which is why they were currently in a meeting with not only the Accords council, but SHIELD as well. To discuss the terms of the pardons, to keep everyone safe and to prevent the civil war from ever happening again. 

 

“They’ll have to stay in the compound with everyone else. I’m sorry, I know it’s not ideal, but it’s our only option. They’re still considered a danger to the public, and the compound is the only place we can keep them in control.” The white-haired lady apologized, brows furrowed. Both James and Tony sighed, the latter dropped his head into his hands. Tony understood why, of course, but that didn’t make the situation any better.

 

“Alright. But I reserve the right to restrict them in any way I please, within reason.” Tony stated, all of the members agreeing instantly. 

“That is your home, Mister Stark. You’re free to do what you see fit. I might also add that you’re not responsible for providing the rogues with anything; they will be getting SHIELD armour and weaponry, as well as SHIELD pay. Essentially, they’re now glorified SHIELD members.” She finished, sitting back down and signing paperwork. The meeting came to a close soon enough, Tony and James stepping into the waiting car. 

 

“That could have gone better.” James mused, setting his head on Tony’s shoulder and closing his eyes. It was an hour’s drive back to the compound, and with the Rouges arriving anytime, James needed all the sleep he could get. Tony soon followed, dropping his cheek onto James’ head and falling into a light slumber. 

The Rogues were waiting when they arrived. They had been kept in the living room, courtesy of FRIDAY, who also had a healthy sense of anger towards them. She blacked out the windows as they passed, the pair of soulmates wanting to change before greeting their.. guests. Well, before James greeted them. The council had approved Tony’s request to be as far away from the Rogues as humanly possible, which was understandable. A kiss on the lips and a “good luck, love” were all Tony said before James left, perfectly content to watch television in their bedroom while all of this went down. 

 

It’s funny, really, that the first words out of the Captain’s mouth were “Where’s Tony?” 

And it’s even funnier, really, that the first words out of the Colonel’s mouth were “None of your fucking business, Captain.” 

“Let me be clear. You are no longer Avengers. You are glorified SHIELD agents.” Cries from the group of people standing in front of him. 

“You have limited access. Your rooms, the gym, the laundry room, and the kitchen. That’s it. Don’t ask to go anywhere else, because FRIDAY won’t grant you access and neither will I.” He continued, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at the sheer childishness. 

“And  _ you. _ ” He whirled to the Captain, sending him a glare that made him take a step back.

“If you  _ ever _ so much as  _ touch _ Tony again, I will make sure it is the  _ last time _ you touch  _ anything _ . Am I clear.” A rigorous nod. 

“Good. We’re done here. Welcome back.” The sarcasm was practically dripping as James turned away, walking out of the room without a second thought. James thought he got through to them. He really did. Sure, they would still have to fight together-- they had a public image to maintain, but he wouldn’t stand for them hurting Tony again. Turns out James’ threat hadn’t worked as well as he wanted it to. 

A month later, James stumbles upon a conversation he’s 100% sure he isn’t supposed to hear. 

 

“I don’t know, Wanda. He’s refusing to communicate with us, refusing to come to team meetings-- it’s getting ridiculous, really. I didn’t want to have to go to the council, but if he keeps this up, I will. We’re trying, anyone can see that, but he just refuses to move on. I want us to be a  _ family _ again. I’m trying to apologize, to explain my side of the story, but he just brushes me off! Ignores me, every time.” Steve ranted, fists curled tightly together. 

“I know, Steve. I think… you should go and talk to the council. We’ve all been on ‘good behaviour’, so they should be willing to listen. If they’re not, well. There’s always other ways.” She hands grew slightly scarlet, a sad smile making its way onto her face.

“Thank you, Wanda, really. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He thanked, getting up off the couch. James hurried away, a bad feeling settling within him. 

 

James’ bad feeling was confirmed two days later in the form of a letter addressed to them both. They were to meet with the council at 1500 hours; not showing up was unacceptable. James felt his soulmate’s arms slid around his waist behind him, chin coming to rest on his shoulder. 

 

“What’cha got there honeybear?” Tony questioned, pressing a quick kiss to James’ neck. 

 

“The council’s calling a meeting. For all of us.” Tony’s mistrations stopped dead in their tracks, grip tightening ever so slightly. He sighed through his nose, choosing to drop his forehead on James’ shoulder. 

 

“Can’t say I didn’t see it coming.” Tony mused, kissing the shell of his soulmate’s ear before letting go.

 

“Well then, guess we’ll have to get dressed.” A gesture towards the two of them, still in their pyjamas. A funny thought came to James’ head; what if they showed up in their pjs, just to show how  _ tired _ they both were of this charade. They got dressed slowly, taking their time, as if they could delay the inevitable. 3pm rolled around far too soon for either of their liking. 

The pair sat side-by-side on one side of the table, next to Natasha and Vision. The Rogues would sit on the other, so that they were facing either nothing. No running away, no ignoring, no hiding. Everything said would be said in front of everyone, on record. Great. Tony’s foot began bouncing the second he sat down, quickly lacing their fingers under the table as soon as James sat down.  T’Challa hadn’t accepted the invitation, deciding to stay in Wakanda and deal with the political matters there. Soon enough the Rogues started to arrive, Tony simply clenching his soulmate’s hand slightly tighter than before. This was going to happen, eventually; he just needed to get it over with. 

It would be fine. Everything….. everything would be fine. 

 

“Welcome, everyone. Good to see everyone’s in good health. Let’s get started, shall we?” Council Member Rosa started, standing up. 

“We’re here today for a couple of reasons. The first is to address-” Tony zoned out, saving his energy for the confrontation that was sure to come. 

 

“-and that wraps up everything for today!” She finished cheerfully, hitting her papers on the desk and placing them into her briefcase. 

 

“And questions?” 

 

Steve cleared his throat, Tony stiffening. 

 

“Yes, council member, um. Did you? Receive my complaint?” Steve questioned sheepishly, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck.

 

“Yes, Mister Rogers, I did. To be quite frank, I thought it was a joke.” Rosa confirmed, eyebrows furrowing as she looked Steve dead in the eye. 

 

“It.. wasn’t. Could we address that now?” Rosa sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose before gesturing towards Steve. She sent a look that screamed ‘I’m sorry’ Tony’s way before sitting back down. 

 

“Right. Council Members, I’ve come today to bring to light a very important concern. Tony refuses to acknowledge us, let alone work with us.  He refuses to take part in team bonding exercises or team meetings, and has been outright ignoring my team. We as a team have decided that we cannot trust him to have our back out on the field if he continues, and ask that the Council make him attended at least one team meeting and bonding exercise a week. Council, I- my team have  _ tried _ fixing things. Tony refuses to see past our fight, and it’s seriously damaging us as a whole. We just want everything to go back to the way it was-- to be a team, and a family again. Tony is pushing back every step we take.” He finished, sitting down. Clint clapped him on the shoulder, glaring at Tony. 

 

“You do realize, Mister Rogers, that the events of the Civil War caused Tony to feel not only unsafe in his own home, but unsafe around every single one of your team members? Around yourself? Who are we to force him to feel unsafe 24/7 for your warped sense of ‘family’? Why should we force him to do something when he doesn’t know you won’t hurt him again?” One of the council members spoke up. 

 

“Stark’s being overdramatic. Again. He has a tendency to do that, you know? Blow things way out of proportion. So what, they fought, whoop de do. He needs to get over himself.” Clint spat, leaning back in his chair. Tony’s face hardened, and James watched the familiar mask of nonchalant click into place. 

 

‘We just… we just want to be a family again, Tony.” Steve was now speaking directly to him, yet Tony couldn’t bring himself to care. 

 

“You don’t get to rewrite the narrative, Rogers. What we had? The whole ‘family’ thing? That’s gone. Never coming back. The sooner you get that through your head, the better.” Tony replied, watching as Steve’s face went from hope to anger. 

 

“See? This is what I mean. He refuses to work with us, hell, he won’t even talk or look at us! Please, council members. Help us.” Steve sighed; he sounded tired, so tired. 

The council members looked torn-- both of them had decent points. The teams were lead into separate rooms while the council deliberated. Natasha stayed near the door, Vision sitting down in one of the chairs. 

 

“He won’t stop, Tony. You know that. I’m not saying you should agree with him, but interacting with him will stop this bullshit.” Natasha confessed, leaning her head against the door. Her eyes were closed, but she knew Tony was paying attention. 

“It’s wearing you down. You can’t constantly be on guard in your own home.” 

 

Before Tony got a chance to reply, they were being called back into the room. 

“We, the council, have decided that Tony Stark shall attend one team bonding and one team mee-”

“I resign from the Avengers Initiative.” Tony stood, walking out of the room quickly.

“Same here.” James spoke, following his soulmate. The string had grown brighter, another weight off of Tony’s back. Natasha and Vision soon followed, wanting to make sure Tony was alright. Natasha could hear the cries from the other room, but couldn’t bring herself to care. Her family was here-- she wasn’t going to abandon them.

Sometimes, family is an assassin, a colonel, an iron man, a hulk,  and an artificial intelligence given a human body. It’s not a traditional family by any means- but they make it work. Team dinners become the five of them, laughing and talking. Sure, they’re still called out on mission; they still have to work with the captain’s team, who are now SHIELD agents, but they make it work. Who knew that a strictly professional relationship would work a lot better? Iron Man and Captain America work seamlessly, and, to the public, it’s like nothing ever happened. Tony Stark and Steve Rogers don’t talk. When they do, it’s short, clipped answers and responses. Someone’s always supervising; it’s more for Steve than it is for Tony. 

The Rogues are practically forced to sign the Accords, Tony trying to make it as lax as possible for his own piece of mind. Him and James’ bond is strong than ever, the string bright red and strong, like it should be. Sure, both of them have off days; James still gets deployed and Tony’s still got a company to run, but they make it work. It’s worth it, at the end of the day, when they’re wrapped up in each other and everything is peaceful. They continue therapy, and, eventually, things start to get better again. They can’t ever fully move past the civil war; it’s a hard event to get over, for the both of them. Villains don’t have a tendency to attack in the middle of the night, so they almost always get a good night's sleep. 

 

And then, well. 

There was a bigger threat; something none of them could stop. They tried, by god, they tried- but they failed. God, they failed. 

And now Tony’s up in space, recording one last message for the one he loves.

 

And James? 

James is alone. 

**Author's Note:**

> i was. i was planning on making this a happy ending, believe it or not.


End file.
